LoriSullivan

4 Steps to Developing an Affordable PM Program

To ensure fleet managers fully understand their fleet’s maintenance costs, a maintenance program that focuses on collecting detailed information, evaluating costs and making actionable decisions must be put in place.

Here’s how to achieve an affordable, cost-controlled PM program:

Step 1: Specify PMI tasks to be performed.

This should be done for each class of equipment within a fleet. Fleet managers should begin by evaluating equipment manufacturers’ recommended servicing and repair schedules. Comparisons can be made with actual work orders that include a number of PMI-related items.

To ensure maintenance tasks are performed when needed, inspections involving everything from the cab interior to the electrical system should be carried out at a regular interval.

Step 2: Define the responsibilities for performing PM tasks.

Whether fleets conduct daily pre- and post-trip inspections or once-weekly inspections, these tasks are vital to keeping vehicles on the road and the business moving.

For PMI tasks, responsibility may be assigned to:

Operators

Field mechanics

Local shops

Central shops

Vendor shops

Step 3: Analyze the cost impact of the program.

Fleet managers should summarize the types of repairs (and vehicle classes) that constitute most of the labor and parts costs. Once the repairs and vehicles that account for the majority of shop time are identified, it is possible to evaluate and determine a plan of action.

This will help pinpoint and reduce high-cost repairs, particularly if they are repetitive for a specific vehicle or vehicle class.

Example: Is it time to replace an older vehicle that may be eating away at the fleet budget?

Step 4: Monitor the costs of the PMI program and the costs of performing unscheduled maintenance.

It is necessary to look for repair types either occurring in the highest volume or involving the greatest expense. If possible, suggest specific PMI servicing as part of the fleet’s PMI programs.

High volume repair costs for a given component may indicate a design weakness. This problem is best alleviated by an equipment modification rather than by continued repairs.

A large volume of similar repairs may signify a need for additional mechanic or driver training.

Discipline must be established among equipment operators and mechanics to ensure all PMI tasks are actually performed.

In our next post:

About the Author

Lori Sullivan

Marketing Director

Lori is the Director of Marketing at Fleetio and a seasoned B2B marketing and automotive advertising expert. When she's not nerding out on marketing metrics or podcasts, she is binge-watching Netflix crime dramas with her dog, Fitzgerald.

Get our monthly newsletter

Join a community of over 40,000 newsletter subscribers

Email address:

Your information will help us deliver, develop and promote Fleetio products. This may include sending you relevant materials related to your information request. While we may use your information to help target Fleetio's digital advertising, we will never sell your information to any third parties. Submitting this form indicates you agree to our Privacy Policy. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

Resources

Get the newsletter

Email address:

Your information will help us deliver, develop and promote Fleetio products. This may include sending you relevant materials related to your information request. While we may use your information to help target Fleetio's digital advertising, we will never sell your information to any third parties. Submitting this form indicates you agree to our Privacy Policy. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

Request a demo of Fleetio

We'll contact you shortly to schedule a live demo with one of our solution experts.

Your Name

Company Name

Email Address

Phone Number

Fleet Size

Industry Type

We'll contact you shortly to schedule a live demo with one of our solution experts.

Your information will help us deliver, develop and promote Fleetio products. This may include sending you relevant materials related to your information request. While we may use your information to help target Fleetio's digital advertising, we will never sell your information to any third parties. Submitting this form indicates you agree to our Privacy Policy. You can withdraw your consent at any time.